I begin 2015 with 7 sponsored children. Three through World Vision, three through Children International, and one through United With Hope.
I've developed a nice ongoing sponsorship routine with 7 kids. I'm not planning on adding any new kids in 2015, as 7 seems to be a good number for me to keep up with long term. I write every 5-6 weeks, sometimes online, sometimes a real paper letter with pictures, etc. I am able to send extra financial gifts with only 7 children, as well, and that is a plus for me, because it's pretty important to me.
There have been several times during the past few months that I worried I'd need to drop some or all of my sponsored children, due to looming bills that seemed huge. But everything always seemed to work out. Either the bill was much smaller than anticipated, or we somehow had the money.
I think back to when I returned to sponsorship in August 2013. I remember thinking I'd have time to write twice a month. Ha! The good news is, I don't even feel a bit guilty. Sponsorships through World Vision and Children International don't have kids coming into a center each week, so to get a letter to the child, either the family has to come and pick it up, or center staff have to deliver it to the family. Writing twice a month would create a lot more work! I feel I've struck a nice balance with writing every 5-6 weeks. The kids still get regular letters from me, but I'm not overwhelming the system.
